too blessed to be stressed.

i have always thought that phrase was really lame. 

but today, that is really how i feel.  

my life has been pretty stressful for the last year or so. 

but i have also been very blessed. 

i just wanted to take a minute to  publicly document what i am most grateful for. 

and today... i am most grateful for happiness

i'm not talking about the happiness i get from eating frozen yogurt or riding a roller coaster 

(although, both of those things do make me very happy)

but rather the type of happiness that brings peace and comfort. 

true happiness. 

here are a few things that make me very happy. 

my faith. 

today, i am so grateful for faith. i am grateful for the guidance it gives me. 

and mostly i am grateful for a heavenly father who knows and loves me. 

with that said...

i am grateful that my life has turned out the way it has so far. 

sure, its nothing how i imagined it would be. 

but somehow its better. 

i've learned and grown so much through my experiences that if i had the chance...

i don't know that i would change any of it. 

my family. 

we are our own kind of crazy. 

and i love it. 

i am super grateful for the loving support of my parents and siblings. 

i am also grateful for eight little monsters that call me auntie april.

i am grateful to be finally graduating.

i graduate in 21 days.  

it feels very bitter sweet. but right now a little more sweet than bitter. 

 i am so grateful for my friends. 

i know everyone says this but...

i seriously have some of the best friends ever. 

and i am so grateful for that. 

and lastly, i am grateful for bikes. 

there really are few bad days that cannot be cured by a late night bike ride. 

i hope you all had a few grateful thanksgiving. 

i love fun.

catching up.

i'm finally catching up.  in case you have been wondering what i have been doing lately.

the following post are what i have been doing when i have not been sitting at starbucks staring at my computer hoping my thesis will write itself.  going to school. going to work. going to practicum.  or driving in my car in between each location.

also.  this video makes me happy. enjoy.

halloween.

halloween started the friday night before actual halloween. my roommates and i dressed up as mimes and went to a ward party up in santa monica.  it wasn't until after we already put the white face makeup on that we decided that this was NOT an attractive look for us.  but we rocked it anyhow. 

the halloween festivities continued onto saturday.  my friend chris and i went to my sisters trunk or treat. i as a lamb. and chris as a gorilla.  

dane would not go near chris. or gorilla man as they called him. 

the next day, my sister told them that someone had taken all their candy 

(she was using it to pass out to other kids on actual halloween). 

they were SURE that it was gorilla man that took it. 

that night.  after an exciting game of laser tag

 (and i am not joking.  we went and played again and it was awesome) 

we went to sugar's annual halloween party.  

we clearly were not going to do the mime thing again (not cute)

so i passed the lamb costume over to jess. and emily dug in the costume box where she found our astronaut costume. 

i went as a disneyland tourist. what you can't see was that i wore the camera around my neck all night.  rocked my tennis shoes with socks. and shorts to my knees. 

i have NEVER been more comfortable at a party. 

i am beginning to understand why people wear running shoes with jeans. 

its not fashionable.  but it is SO comfortable. 

our friend andrew took over the gorilla costume.  

it was an okay halloween.  not my favorite. but definitely not the worst. that definitely goes to the year i got sprayed by a hose AND got my candy stolen. 

lets do it again halloween.  same time next year. 

ward campout

our ward has a tradition of going camping at joshua tree. 

this is a tradition that i have never been a part of. 

until this year. 

and it was a blast. 

we arrived in joshua tree around 9. set up our seven man tent. (thank you amber) blew up our queen size air mattresses. made some s'mores by the fire. told ghost stories in the tent. glow stick man may or may not have made an appearance. and there was definitely some glow stick facials before bed. 

in the morning we woke up. and drove out to some other place (i think it was still in joshua tree) to go 'extreme hiking'. i know i say this a lot. but it was SO FUN.  

we were basically scrambling, hopping, and hiking up these giant piles of boulders.  

so fun. 

first ward camp out=success. 

Lion King

i went on an awesome date a few weeks ago. 

sure, he made me drive. pay for the treats. and go dutch on the movie. 

but the hug at the end of the night (well.. afternoon) 

made it all worth it.  

plus he serenaded me on the guitar to and from the theater. 

i took saxon to go see lion king in 3D while it was in theaters. we grabbed some bin candy from whole foods before heading over to bella terra.  it was his first time to the movies. and we had the theater all to ourselves. what can i say? i'm willing to do what it takes to keep favorite aunt status.

when i was getting this picture to upload it reminded me of a picture we took long ago:

crazy how some things change. 

(like hair color. and children's clothes sizes) 

ps.  i recognize that no one really cares about my nieces and nephews besides me... and well maybe my mom, my sister, and julie...but i just can't help talking about them.  so i realize that its annoying.  i just don't care.  

Matt and Morgans Wedding

my roommate morgan got married in october

(yes that is my second roommate in 7 months to get married)

so we got to take a trip out to utah.  

we started the trip out in SLC by eating at this restaurant. 

it was pretty good and for a great cause. 

and i am all about that. 

then a little shopping at gateway and then off to the wedding dinner. 

it was really fun. 

the next morning went for a run, ate some of the famous french toast at magleby's. 

serious SO good. 

then headed to the temple to see the sealing. 

 they were so happy. 

and morgan looked GORGEOUS. 

after the wedding we ate so lunch, toured BYU campus, 

and then changed our clothes for the reception. 

reception was fun. but the real fun started after the reception. 

we tried to go to a haunted house but the line ended up being WAY too long. 

so we brainstormed and ending up laser tagging. 

oh my gosh. So Fun. 

i know i am a total dork but seriously it is my new favorite activity!  

the next day it was just jess and i until our flight left. 

so we went to church and then went exploring.  

we tried to find gravity hill.

but no such luck. 

but what we did find was this awesome park!

and these amazing sculptures. 

it was great trip. 

it was a great trip. 

Napa Valley Ragnar

so the race itself=amazing. 

seriously, the course was the best one by far. 

it started right below the golden gate bridge and then wrapped through beautiful fields to napa valley. 

gorgeous. 

and our team? also awesome. 

of course we went with the them of Richard Simmons again.

highlights:

getting to the start line an hour late. again. 

picking up a hitch hiker and his dog, 

sleeping in the grass on an air mattress (best sleep i've ever gotten on one of these races), 

brittany running in sequence shorts and wig, 

erika and chris also rocking the wig on their runs, 

pauls flight being delayed and trying to figure out how to get him there,

paul running faster then anyone else on the team... yet only trained by running four miles. once. 

paul 'ruining' everything. 

running with strangers from oregon. 

one being a 60 year old man that put us all to shame. 

oh yes.... and i lost my voice. before the race even began. and when i say lost my voice i mean... i would open my mouth to talk and not a peep would come out. i was so mad.